🏏ICC T20I Men's WC 2024: Match 14: NZ vs AFG, Providence 🏏

🏏ICC T20I Men's WC 2024: Match 14: NZ vs AFG, at Providence on 8/6/24 at 5:00 AM IST🏏

[Tag and Logo Credit to Wildestdreams]

NZ face tough test against Afghanistan in spin-friendly Guyana. The battle for supremacy in Group C of the T20 World Cup heats up

Thirteen matches into the World Cup, New Zealand's campaign is just about to begin. While the Black Caps have waited to get going in Guyana, at least five teams have completed two group games, some sides have been surprised by the varied challenges posed by the conditions, the ICC has publicly acknowledged pitch concerns in New York and the USA have downed Pakistan. The challenge for Kane Williamson and Co. is that they will have to hit the ground running against an opponent that warmed-up to the tournament with a dominant, run-rate boosting win at this very venue.

Afghanistan might already be one of the popular choices for cricket fans' 'second-favourite' team given how improbable their journey has been in getting as far as they have as a cricketing force. They enhanced that reputation with a stunning show in the ODI World Cup in India six months ago. Now in the abridged T20 format, one their players go around the world playing and even headlining, they will like nothing more than to rubber-stamp this rise by progressing past the group stage.

Which is what lends this match, and Group C by extension, a tasty narrative. In a group with three clear contenders fighting for two Super 8 spots, and where two of those sides are facing each other at the start, there is not much room for error or bad luck. A win over New Zealand, one of those few big teams that Afghanistan didn't dent in October-November last year, could put them in pole position for qualification and leave the Black Caps scrambling and even hoping for other teams to help them out.

But what separates New Zealand from most other participating countries in this competition is adaptability. They've been semifinalists or runners-up in each of the last six white-ball World Cups in conditions as varied as India, UAE, England and Australia. They have variety in skills and the tactical nous to make little adjustments on the go. It is what Afghanistan will have to match and counter.

Big picture: NZ face a tricky started

Since 2015, no team has been more successful in making it to the knockout stages of a World Cup than New Zealand. They've made the semi-finals in each of the six white-ball events since - including three finals - and yet, the trophy cabinet is empty. But if they don't hit the ground running right away in a group that also includes co-hosts West Indies, their current campaign could very well end early.

They take the field for the first time on Friday and a challenge awaits them straightaway. Guyana has been the most spinner-friendly venue of T20 World Cup 2024 and Afghanistan are arguably the strongest spin-bowling outfit in the world. When you take into account New Zealand's less-than-ideal prep with no official warm-up games played, one wonders if they will turn up undercooked against a unit that has Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and potentially Noor Ahmad.

However, one of the reasons why New Zealand did not play a warm-up was because many of them were at the IPL, and those franchise regulars like Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult could make a difference. They are also boosted by the return of Finn Allen and Devon Conway from injury, and their various right-left batting options gives them various batting strategies.

New Zealand have a few spin weapons of their own too. The West Indies is Santner's favourite place to bowl in, where he averages 16.83 with an economy of 5.50. Across the last two T20 World Cups, no bowler has had a higher average release point (2.27m) than Santner. This uniqueness and his ability to vary his release speed and angle will keep all teams on their toes this World Cup.

The left-arm spin of Ravindra and the offspin of Phillips gives them flexibility, allowing them to field a strong side without Ish Sodhi in the XI. Factor in the swing of Boult, the pace of Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, and a string of other seam options, and New Zealand are still very much a threat. For Afghanistan's batting, that remains the biggest challenge on Friday. They'll look at the settled opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to put up a strong platform in pursuit of a second win in two games.

Form guide

New Zealand LWWLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)

Afghanistan WWWLW

In the spotlight - Williamson, Conway and Farooqi

Kane Williamson and Devon Conway are two of New Zealand's top-three batters with next-to-zero game time recently. Conway missed the IPL with a finger injury that needed surgery while Williamson got only two games for Gujarat Titans. Neither have played a T20I game since January, but their experience is irreplaceable, especially if conditions are once again tricky for batting. Conway is proficient in scoring against all kinds of spin, however, Williamson could get bogged down by those who turn their stock ball away him, striking at only 106 since the T20 World Cup 2022.

Fazalhaq Farooqi showed against Uganda in Afghanistan's first game that it's not all about spinners in their team. In Providence, where this game will be played as well, he found significant deviation off the pitch and swung the ball nearly 2.5 degrees in the powerplay, more than twice that of the other bowlers. His 5 for 9 against Uganda was the fourth-best bowling figures in T20 World Cups, and Afghanistan will look for breakthroughs from him early so that the spinners could apply the squeeze sooner.

Team news: NZ assessing combinations

There are no injury concerns on either side. Afghanistan are likely to field the same XI while New Zealand will be considering their spin vs seam balance. Their resources are plenty: even if they keep out Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee and Sodhi, they still have eight bowling and eight batting options.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Finn Allen (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Mark Chapman/Rachin Ravindra, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Lockie Ferguson

Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Najibullah Zadran, 4 Mohammad Nabi, 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Karim Janat, 9 Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Thanks for the tag. All the best to both team. I am personally rooting NZ

Thank you for the tag and thread Soni

NZ for the win

Thanks for the tag Soni.

May the best team win.

I need to get some sleep to get ready for the next two matches.

Cheers..

Pitch and conditions: Spin and rain on the radar

The pitch in Guyana has been sluggish, making chasing the preferred way to go. Since 2022, teams chasing have won 19 of the 27 games and all three at this World Cup. The average first-innings winning score is around 184, however, chances of a shortened game are high with some rain forecast through the evening in Providence.

Stats that matter

• Spinners have an economy of 5.28 in Guyana at this World Cup and have taken 17 wickets, averaging 17.82 apiece. No other venue has seen more than seven wickets to spinners.
• Boult has only three T20I wickets in 13 innings across 26 powerplay overs since 2022, averaging a surprising 67.33 in the phase.
• In matches between Full Members since the last T20 World Cup, Afghanistan's spinners have the best average (19.45) and economy (6.72).